Nobility
by Pinery
Summary: A story in which Elizabeth is no longer the daughter of a mere country gentleman, but the daughter of someone of a great consequence. Read to find out how our beloved couple will change from the original classic story.
1. Chapter 1

**l'm a new writer, so my writing skills are pretty bad, don't shun me!! And this is a completely new story about what if Elizabeth is the lost daughter of the Duke of York, and was recovered when she was nine. And she didn't meet Darcy at that time, they met at Elizabeth's debut ball in London on her eighteenth birthday.**

**Prologue**

On a snowy day in winter,1809, a grand carriage bearing the Spencer crest was driving thorough George St. And inside the carriage, we heard a conversation:

" Father, must l have a ball? We both know very well that it will be full of insincere and fawning people, especially those young men, who are always trying to trap me into marriage, l've already rejected countless proposals of marriage!" Lady Elizabeth Spencer said.

"But my dear, it is a rule in the ton that we, the nobility, make our appearances regularly in front of the other members of ton. And since you are pronounced to be the future belle of the next season, you should make your debut now rather than later." Said the widowed Duke of York kindly to his daughter. Lady Elizabeth pouted, but said nothing more.

Across the carriage, the elderly Duke gazed at his lovely daughter and sighed. How should he ever refuse her anything, she is the only image that reminds him of the late Lady Spencer, the lively and beloved wife of his, who died in chilbirth. Elizabeth is the only child of hers, and she had been adamant that Elizabeth will marry the man whom she loves, disregard the convention of the ton, on her deathbed.

Elizabeth will eventually receive a dowry of forty thousand pounds when she marry, and the Duke is worried about it. A lesser man or a second son may try to persuade Elizabeth to marry him, and to own the forty-thousand-pound dowry. And after the Debut ball, Elizabeth will start to receive callers and admirers properly, she may get confused and marry the wrong man, which is the nightmare that always plagued the duke's sleep.

He had lost her daughter once. When she was only six, she was suddenly lost and nobody in the whole county know where the little girl was. He was desperate, and three years later, when he happened to pass by Hertfordshire, he saw a little girl who looked exactly like Elizabeth and naturally, he went out of the carriage to look for the birthmark that is on Elizabeth's right hand wrist.

Fortunately, little Elizabeth recognized her father in time and told him that she was lost when she was walking three years ago and some kind people called Bennet adopted her, since she had no idea what is her name. The Bennets moved to Hertfordshire about three years ago, and she had lived here since then.

The conversation with the Bennets has been easy enough, they almost swooned when they heard that little Elizabeth is the daughter of a duke. Of course, the duke paid them handsomely for treating little lizzy well but l shall not elaborate on the sum. They left together the following noon, which marked the start of a friendship between the daughter and the father.

Not known to the two silent people in the carriage, a somewhat likely conversation was happening at the same time in the Darcy townhouse on Grovenor St.

"Come on, old man, don't be so ridiculous! You simply MUST attend the ball Lord Spencer has organized, it is said his daughter, the future belle, will be making her debut!" Said a young man of twenty-five enthusiastically, namely Charles Bingley.

"There is absolutely no possibility of me ever attending that ball, l shall not be subjected to another stupid female admirer who cares only for my money." Grunted Darcy. Twisting his signet ring impatiently, he stood up. But before he could say anything, Bingley said in an attempt to regain his place in the argument.

"But Darcy, you must think twice. My sisters will not be attending the ball and you will be free from Caroline for one night if you just attend this ball. In addition, you could see for yourself if Lady Elizabeth has the potential to be the next belle. In conclusion, it would be absolutely unwise if you choose to not attend the ball!"

As a matter of fact, Darcy was quite persuaded by his friend's speech, and so he nodded his head slowly, as if digesting a piece of news.

Bingley smiled, clapped Darcy's back and said:" Well, it seems my job is done now. Sleep well, old man, so you may charm all the ladies at the ball." Completely disregarding Darcy's stern glare, he skipped happily out of the room.

That night, no one in London would know, that because of Bingley's and the duke's persuasion, two people's life would turn out very differently....


	2. Chapter 2

**The Upcoming ball**

**Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for your reviews, l was very encouraged by them, l will try to update as soon as l can but l have some major tests like TOEFL to study, and with the mass of school work, l don't know when will l be able to update.**

On the second morning, London is, strange enough, blessed with rare sunshine. When lady Elizabeth peeked her head out of the window, she sighed. Another odious day to stay inside and study French, she longs to go outside and bask in the radiant sunshine, but her governess was very adamant in insisting on her French lesson. It's unfair, lady Elizabeth thought, l wish l could go back to my free childhood and play in the countryside as much as l want with Jane and Kitty! Jane, she mused, l wonder how is she, l do miss her so. Lost in her own musings, she was startled when she realized she was no longer alone, her governess had come to start her French lesson, lady Elizabeth sighed again for the second time that morning, and sat down facing the governess.

The following days before the ball was gone quickly for Elizabeth with all the dress-fitting, shopping, paying calls with her father, and receiving etiquette and dacing lessons from her masters. She barely had any time to direct thoughts of hers to Jane and Hertfordshire. And so with all the busy nothings*, the days before the ball were gone quickly.

*** Busy nothings: Quote from Jane Austen's own sayings. " Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings".**

As for Fitzwilliam Darcy, the days are much more comfortably spent with riding, fencing and going to the opera to watch Shakesperean plays with his sister, Georgiana. Darcy was very much amused when he heard several lovestruck men reiterate what a remarkable beauty Lady Elizabeth Spencer was. He didn't believe it himself, thinking it's just another pretty coquettish female trying to capture the hearts of the opposite sex.

Wrong he was, determined to find Elizabeth a disagreeable and repulsive female, he has formed a distorted impression of Elizabeth without even knowing her. But the truth would stand erect and he would see for himself later what a truly remarkable woman Elizabeth really is at the ball and during their later acquaintances.

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On the day of the ball, the whole ton was in an uproar. Everyone wanted to look their best on the duke's ball. All the young women were eager to see whether it is true that lady Elizabeth is a beauty, and all the young men wanted to ask her dance and charm the said lady.

The duke's townhouse fared no better. The lady's maids were all fussing over Elizabeth's ball gown and her hair. A skillful French maid had been directed to arrange an elegant French hairstyle with twists, and the duke has especially hired two additional maids to help Elizabeth bath and dress.

As for Elizabeth, she felt like a china doll being fussed over by its owners, she wanted to laugh at the absurdness and cry at her helplessness at the same time, she didn't what to do. It was a rare feeling for Elizabeth and she started to feel a panic for what will come later after the ball.

Two streets away from the Spencer townhouse, the Darcy townhouse seemed quite the opposite. Beautiful and peaceful music was flowing through the whole household. Darcy, dressed in his ball garment, stood tall behind his sister's small sitting form, looking over his sister fondly and proudly, she had become an accomplished lady during the years, and he was proud for his sister's faith in him. Last year, at Ramsgate, when Wickham tried to fool Georgiana, she immediately wrote to him and asked for his opinion. Darcy told Georgiana of Wickham's viciousness and Georgiana was wise enough to listen to him and returned to London. No feelings of his sister was damaged, though she had become even more shy and hesitant in society.

Darcy wishes he could give Georgiana a sister whom she could confide in, and whom could draw her out from her shell.

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The grandfather clock in the Spencer townhouse struck seven. And guests started entering the Spencer townhouse. Looking down on the grand staircase, Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, put one arm through the crook of her father's arm, and descended the stairs elegantly as her master has instructed. The heels clicking the stairs had drawn much of the attention of the guests. Some gasped, some stared with wide eyes, some narrowed their eyes in jealousy. But one opinion is formed commonly: Lady Elizabeth will surely be the toast of the town with her striking beauty!

Elizabeth inwardly laughed at this, she knew she was quite beautiful, but never had she imagined people's reactions like this. She stepped lightly, trying hard to avoid the fish-eyed guests and even harder not to laugh.

Darcy is among the first guests to arrive. he had expected nothing but a meaningless evening trying to avoid fortune hunters. But when lady Elizabeth descended, he was astounded, not that she was the most beautiful lady he has ever seen, but the elgance and poise she carried around herself and the graceful steps she made. Her countenance was fair, but with her sparkling eyes and a hint of a smile, she was the very picture of perfection in Darcy's eyes. If not for his strong self-control, Darcy feared he might be in some danger.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Ball**

As fate would have it, Bingley chose to speak aloud,"Lord, she is a beauty, too bad she is not a blonde." Darcy grudgingly turned his head toward Bingley,"what do you mean?" Bingley shrugged and said placidly,"Well, l prefer blondes to brunettes. But it's completely different for you." He winked," You know fully that you can ask her to dance instead of stalking around here stiffly" Darcy scrutinized Elizabeth's features and said,"Why should l do that, even if she is a beauty, there is a large chance that she is nothing but an enchantress."

As Darcy said it, Elizabeth directed curious glances toward the gentlemen and a frown appeared on her delicate feature when she heard what was being said by both gentlemen. She had secretly rejoiced when she heard the strange handsome man approve of her beauty, but dislike was her next emotion when she heard of the man's comments on her as an enchantress. how dare he! Elizabeth thought angrily. What right has he to comment on me when he barely knows me! What an insufferable man!

She was so angry and hurt at that moment. But she chose to lift her head up high, and stalked acorss the rooms. Darcy was startled when he felt Lady Elizabeth's presence as she stalked, her face was a picture of serenity, but Darcy was such an astute person that he immediately realized that lady Elizabeth was only putting on a composed face, but strong emotions were boiling inside. He wanted to stamp his foot and slap his face at the same time for saying such uncourteous things about a lady within the said lady's hearing distance, especially, he thought, a very elegant lady.

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Elizabeth fumed and fumed, and then she scolded herself for thinking so much of a stranger. Hadn't she always ignored every men's comment except her father's? But this man, she mused, was different, he wasn't fawning or stupid, as a matter of fact, he actually looked like a proper intelligent human being! She secretly smiled at this small joke and sighed as another young man came to ask her for a dance, remembering her duty as a hostess, she accepted the invitation graciously and treaded towards the dance floor.

In th meantime, Darcy was desperately trying to work out a solution for this problem. Looking up from the floor, he suddenly caught a glimpse of lady Elizabeth's ball gown and an idea popped into his head. He could ask to be introduced to lady Elizabeth and then ask her to dance, just as Charles suggested. Then he will explain and apologize for his discourteous behaviour. There, they could start their acquaintance all over again with a fonder memory. And since neither in the party would possibly wish to deepen the acquaintance, they could then, at least part with a distant civility.

At last satified with his solution, he confidently strode towards the duke, and politely asked to be introduced to lady Elizabeth. The duke was surprised at such a request, he knew Darcy to be a shy and quite proud man. But here he was, asking to be introduced to his daughter! How odd! But the prospect seemed not entirely unpleasant, Darcy was an honest man and will never stain Elizabeth's honor and reputation. Had thought as much, the duke nodded and called out to Elizabeth affectionately, and motioned for her to join him and Darcy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~'

"Good god, what is father doing with that man!" Elizabeth thought as she walked across the great ball room. As she walked nearby the couple, she could sense the younger man's unease and her lips twitched into an almost invisible smile. She deliberately ignored the man and turned towards her father. "Aw, Elizabeth, here you are, this young man here asked to be introduced to you."He winked here and continued,"Anyway, Elizabeth, this is Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, Derbyshire. And this is my daughter, lady Elizabeth Spencer." At the mention of Darcy, ELizabeth chuckled, so all the rumors about how arrogant Mr. Darcy is true!

She curtsied and nodded her head towards the gentleman with considerable indifference, which only provoked Darcy's further interest, for he had never seen any woman except his female relations to treat him with such cold and proud manners. Then at the next moment, he realized, lady Elizabeth was only trying to punish him for his unforgivable speech earlier.

Obviously, Darcy was embarrassed to be treated with such incivilities in front of the ton, especially by a young woman who is making her debut. But he decided to put on his most gentlemanly manners. He bowed elaborately and asked for the next dance, which was accepted with the merest civility.

When the music started, everyone in the ton was shocked to their cores, it was a Waltz! How scandalous! Nobody dared to go onto the dance floor in fear of being the gossip of the town. Lady Elizabeth smirked at the general reaction of the town and addressed to Darcy:"Sir, I suppose that you would not like dance right now, am I right?" Darcy gasped when he heard this comment, it was obviously a challenge rather than a thoughtful suggestion. He wanted to back down but his inner thought told him that it could only increase Lady Elizabeth's contempt of him.

So boldly, he took the challenge, staring into ELizabeth's dark eyes, he said quickly but clearly:"Not at all, madam." Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. Then she turned to face the dance floor and said:" Shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

an: i'm back after....how many months? anyways, i want you guys to know that i won't give up this story unless something really serious happens. i think i won't be able to update for another few months since i have my mid-term exams the week after the next. and after that, i'll have to attend extra classes to strengthen and advance my maths, physic, piano and flute to prepare for high school this september. i'm finally going to high school! and not in my own country, too! so mum...(all mums are like that) wants me to be...advanced...when i enter high school, since lawrenceville school is quire advanced. so with all the reasons above, i now excuse myself from writing for another few months.

chapter 4: the ball continues

the poor ton couldn't suffer any more than that day. when they heard the waltz music, they were already scandalized, but the thing that was really shocking happened at the next moment: they saw mr. fitzwilliam darcy of pemberley, derbyshire( with his ten thousand pounds income a year) walking towards the dance floor, taking the hand of lady elizabeth spencer(with her sixty thousand pounds dowry). the whole ton gaped at the couple like fish out of water. elizabeth smirked and darcy uncomfortably twitched his lips at the public attention paid to them. then darcy bravely put his hand on elizabeth's waist to the ton's astonishment. and elizabeth, with no great struggle, rested her hand on darcy's shoulder to another wave of astonishment. all the ladies present were covering their mouths with delicate handkerchief to hide their enormous envy and astonishment. and the gentlemen present were all jealous of darcy's good fortune of having lady elizabeth as a dance partner. "it looks like that we are the only ones dancing at the moment" said elizabeth. "indeed." replied darcy gravely with his usual monosyllable answer. he had hoped to make amends to lady elizabeth during the dance, but now, the lady and himself are at the center of everyone's attention, the exact situation to make darcy's countenance even darker, an outsider might interpret it as reluctance to dance in general, but elizabeth misinterpreted as a reluctance to dance with her.

so elizabeth felt what every lady in this situation would've felt, she felt insulted and reddened at this insult. while darcy did not notice this, the old duke remarked on this and chuckled to himself. young darcy is obviously attracted by his daughter but was unwilling to show it, and now he would have a long way on pursuing elizabeth, after all, being the father of elizabeth, he understood every bit of her personality and she is not one to be easily swayed once decided on one opinion.

darcy felt the awkwardness between him and elizabeth and decided to make some conversation while suffering this dance. so he started talking about the universally agreeable topic-- the weather. "it seems that recently london has been under much rain shower and clouds, but i believe we can expect some sunshine in the next few days. what says you, lady spencer?" elizabeth was thankful for the endeavour of conversation on darcy's part even though she still has no heart to forgive him. but she decided that she would be gracious. " i agree with your opinion on this matter, mr. darcy. the weather in london is always thus so, a week or two of rain and clouds, and then several days of sunshine. i do believe i shall enjoy the sunshine immensely in the next few days."

luckily for the two of them, the dance struck its last note when elizabeth's finished her sentence. they bowed and curtsied to each other politely, but absent-mindedly. to avoid the attention people were giving them, darcy turned to elizabeth and said grimly," will you give me the pleasure of escorting you to the punch table, lady spencer?"  
elizabeth knew exactly that it was not a compliment that it was not a compliment to herself but a way to avoid the crowd. " coward, what is all the wealth in the world if one is afraid of the ton." elizabeth fumed, i will only take his offer now because of the attention people are giving me, nothing more. so she coldly took his arm and went in the direction of the punch table.

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darcy was surprised, even with a title and a vast dowry, many women would stoop down to him, but lady spencer was an exception, she didn't seem to mind his fortune one bit and seemed to be quite angry with him. just then, darcy realized that he hadn't apologized yet, which was the main goal of dancing with lady elizabeth.

so instead of taking lady spencer to the punch table, darcy led her into the dark music room. when he turned her towards him, he could see that lady elizabeth was more than angry, she was trembling with fury of his presumption and nearly erupted. before lady elizabeth could accuse him of anything. darcy spoke," do not fear madam, for i won't do you harm, i only wish to clear some things that you may have misunderstood. first, it is in my understanding that you have misheard my unfortunate comment about you being an enchantress. i apologize wholeheartedly for that. i was not in the best of moods this evening when i came, so i said some things that i later regretted." after saying all of this out loud in one breath, darcy finally felt the burden being lifted from his shoulders.

elizabeth was all astonishment! she never expected the proud nonchalant darcy to apologize, and that was a step towards reconciliation. after a moment of pause, elizabeth nodded her head slowly and said," yes, i shall forgive you." " shall i take this as an offer of civility?" elizabeth asked drily. darcy, who was taken aback by himself, laughed. he laughed at lady elizabeth's sense of humour, which showed his own well-hidden humour and dimples. " he looks much younger and more handsome when he laughs, he really should do that more often." elizabeth thought to herself, and then chided herself for having such thoughts.

when elizabeth has gathered her thoughts and sense together, she smiled at darcy for the first time in their acquaintance and asked him to go back to the ball room with her. 


	5. Chapter 5

**~Coversations, and letter to Jane after the ball~**

**AN: Hi, guys! Can you believe it? I managed to update a new chapter only a couple days after my last update! I was so encouraged by you guys, so thanks a million for your help and support! I was so eager to write that I think I did quite bad on my exams, except perhaps English and Maths.(Blast Physics and Chinese Literature!!!) I know that this story has many faults, but I'll try my best to improve it. Please read and review! ~~Love from Pinery**

After they had re-entered the ballroom, time went by quickly. Soon, the guests were leaving the grand house, satisfied with the gossips and dances shared.

As Elizabeth and her father waved off the last guest, the duke turned towards his daughter and asked affectionately:" So, dearest Elizabeth, this is your first official step into society, how do you like it?"

" Tolerable, I suppose. But most people are narrow-minded and ridiculous. Did you see Mr. Grunne? He is the most pompous man I have ever seen! Talking like if he owns the world, but in fact, he is just a gentleman with trade connections!"

" You do have a point there, my dear. But not all man with trade connections are laughable, Mr. Bingley seems like a good sort man with humor and jovial manners, what do you think of him?"

" He is very nice, but he is not the man for me, he would suit Jane of course since they are both so good-willed and good-tempered. That reminds me! We must invite Jane into London for the season so she may meet Mr. Bingley!"

The duke chuckled," I did not know that you were such a good matchmaker, Elizabeth! Speaking of the young men, what kind of man would you prefer?"

" Papa!" Cried Elizabeth indignantly. " Come on, Elizabeth. I'm an old man, I can't possibly interfere with your own personal life. After all, I'm your father, and I would want the best for you."

" Well then, I like men who are humourous, generally kind-hearted, well-read, dedicated, and if possible, handsome."

" Hmm... It seems that you have a long list. That kind of men is definitely hard to find, but there is one that I know of. Do you want to know who he is?" Said the duke with a twinkle in his eye.

" Oh, Papa, do stop teasing me!" " The answer is quite obvious, I thought you had found out. It's Darcy, the one who asked you to waltz."

" Papa, now you are really teasing me, how can Mr. Darcy be the one for me when he thought me an temptress and clearly not worthy of his attention?"

The duke's face turned to ash white when he heard it," He dared to say that to you? I will definitely call him out!"

After hearing that her attempt at a joke had been mistaken as a serious matter, Elizabeth setted off at once to jump to Mr. Darcy's defence." He is of course, wrong, but he apologized for his rudeness since he was not in the best of moods tonight."

" Fine, but trust me to keep a close eye on that boy." The duke said grudgingly and left abruptly to retire to his bedchambers.

Elizabeth smiled at her father's stubborness before returning to her own chambers to write a letter of invitation to Jane, her beloved friend, a friend she had always wanted as a sister.

The letter began as such:

_Dearest Jane,_

_I'm so sincerely sorry for the delay of my letters to you. Don't worry, my dear Jane, you are still my closest friend and confidante. _

_I've been so busy these weeks, shopping, taking lessons and preparing for my debut ball. I was so sorry to hear that you couldn't attend the ball, and I still am. It was a wonderful night with much entertainment and crowds of people for me to observe. Of them all, two impressed me most. _

_One is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, Derbyshire. He is rumoured to have 10,000 pounds of income every year and very possibly more. He is an enigma to me, I just can't read through his mind. He is certainly very well-educated , has a sense of humour, and well-versed in society, he is also very handsome and charming when he wants to be. But most time he is taciturn and proud, looking down at people with aloofness and even distain! At the beginning of the ball, he called me an enchantress and thought me, a daughter of a duke, unworthy of his attention! Then, his attitude changed a bit, for he asked me to dance and then apologized to me. I really don't know what to make out of all of it! Do give me some suggestions for my mind is already screaming._

_The other one is Mr. Charles Bingley. He is a gentleman from the north of England, well, let's say that he is a man who has just gotten rid of most of his trade connections. He is looking for an estate somewhere in the country to reside in and to become a true gentleman. He is very amiable and charming, good-humoured and kind-hearted, and he is very handsome. He is quite rich, with an income of 5,000 pounds or more every year. He is a good man hard to find in general, but he is definitely not the one for me. He is too placid-mannered for me and...passionless! But you, dear Jane, is the perfect match for him. You are both alike in temper and I believe with your stunning beauty, Mr. Bingley shall fall in love with you quite easily. _

_Therefore, I'm issuing an invitation to you for you to come to London to stay with me for a few months. Your modesty will surely make you decline but I must insist upon it. Even without the benefit of seeing you happily settled as Mrs. Bingley, I will still appreciate your effort to help me through my first official season._

_With love,_

_E.S._

After finishing the letter, Lady Elizabeth yawned and her maid, Laura, took it as a hint to help her mistress to her bed and give the letter to the servant for it to be delivered at the first light tommorrow morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, guys! This chapter is actually an added one since one of my readers suggested that I write more about Darcy's thoughts and stuff like that… Enjoy! Remember to write some constructive criticism.**

**Darcy's Musings and a new start for friendship**

As Thomas, Darcy's valet readied his master for a hot bath, Darcy had a sufficient time to reflect upon the whole evening. It started off as terrible as anybody can imagine, for he insulted a debutant at the ball in honour of her, a duke's daughter nonetheless! Then it just got worse, with Lady Spencer overhearing his remark and dancing a waltz with her. Well, the waltz wasn't exactly entirely agonizing, Lady Elizabeth did have a light and pleasing figure, Darcy thought. I wonder if she has truly forgiven me after I dragged her into the music room and apologized. I hope she has, for now I'm determined to win her good opinion and will call on her tomorrow.

After taking his bath, Darcy dismissed his valet and crawled into his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he continued his musings. Why should I, Fitzwilliam Darcy, who has never bothered to win any woman's approval, stoop down to a mere girl of seventeen? Perhaps you are fascinated with her ways of seeing matters her sincerity, and admire her ability to fend for herself in the society. His inner voice said. Darcy shrugged off these small voices and fell into a deep slumber. Yes, tomorrow he'll call on the Spencer townhouse to pay his respect.

**The Next Day**

On the next day, Elizabeth woke up feeling refreshed and relieved after such a long night but also a bit nervous because of the heavy social duties waiting for her now that she's of age. She rang for Laura and dressed as quickly as possible for she secretly wished to have a stroll in the Hyde Park before the whole of London is up and about.

Entertaining the same thought, Darcy mounted his horse for a leisurely ride through the park. Upon hearing some noises in the bushes, he paused. Then, as if he saw, Lady Elizabeth stumbled out of the bush. Darcy was mesmerized at the moment, for Elizabeth's brown curls fell out of her bonnet, and after such a vigorous walk, Elizabeth's cheeks are flushed pink, and her eyes are sparkling with laughter and self-mockery for her loss of dignity.

Then she noticed Darcy staring at her and her cheeks flushed even a deeper red. She summoned up all her courage and bid Mr. Darcy good morning, and then she turned to walk away. It was at that moment Darcy realized his major _faux pas, _so he called out quite loudly:" Please do not go, Lady Elizabeth. Would you like to walk with me? I found the weather to be quite pleasing and I, for one, am in want of intelligent conversation." He looked at the back of Lady Elizabeth begging.

Then Elizabeth realized she wouldn't be able to refuse this requests since it's so sincere and heartfelt. And a walk and conversation with Mr. Darcy might prove to be fruitful in her hope of sketching his character. So she turned around with much dignity and solemnity, she could pass for Lady Catherine if not for her sparkling and bright eyes. Darcy smiled in relief of her agreement and held out his arm for Elizabeth to hold.

Elizabeth unhesitatingly accepted his offer and started their conversation with memories of the ball last night.

"I believe, Mr. Darcy, we had had reconciliation yesterday night before the ball ended, didn't we?" Elizabeth smiled up at Darcy and challenged him to continue on this topic.

"I do believe we did, and I think this is exactly the reason why I'm walking with and conversing with you now, to prove to you I'm not disagreeable and proud as you previously thought, and to, of course, make it as a start of a new friendship." Darcy faced her challenge with ease.

Elizabeth blushed when she thought of her prejudice." Sir, I'd really appreciate it if we can all forget the...situations last night and start anew."

"I'd be happy to oblige. Now, shall we talk of something more pleasant such as the weather?" Darcy said teasingly.

"You, sir, are incorrigible!" Elizabeth burst out before she launched into a full fledged laugh, showing her pearl white teeth.

Darcy, again, was stunned by the natural beauty of Elizabeth, and allowed himself a slight grin at his own expense. Quickly resuming her dignity, Elizabeth said challengingly "Why sir? I believe that to be obvious, the wonderful weather drew both of us out, didn't it? Therefore, sir, you have proven yourself to be a very dull conversationalist, at least in my opinion."

"Then what will you have us talk about? Surely not those scandalizing novels that young ladies nowadays like to read!" Amazed with Lady Elizabeth's blatant reply, Darcy replied back teasingly.

Immediately after Darcy replied, he knew that it was the wrong thing to say, for Lady Elizabeth's face turned red with anger, and if looks can kill, Darcy would have been long dead by those fiery brown eyes. Elizabeth restrained her anger and said vehemently "Who do you take me for? An ordinary lady of the society? If you do, let me correct those assumptions. I'm no temptress, no fortune hunter, and not someone to be underestimated!"

Darcy stuttered over words, finally, he said with an urgent tone "Please do not take offence of what I said earlier, I was only trying to tease you, but it seems that I unknowingly gave offence to you. You must know that I hold only the highest regard and opinion of you and that I regret what I said to you yesterday night heartily."

Elizabeth recovered her shock at hearing such a sincere confession quickly, and she was wholly ashamed of her unladylike burst of temper before. She quickly said "No Mr. Darcy, you are not the one at fault, it was I, who took offence of what you said before comprehending your meaning." She added teasingly "So you see now that maybe I'm not worthy of your high opinion, being very unladylike and rude indeed!"

"As much as I hate to disagree with you, Lady Elizabeth, I must say that what you said can only inspire a higher opinion of you, for there's nothing wrong with a right sense of self-respect, and your ready admission to your own fault tells me that you know yourself well. They all gave rise to my already high opinion of you, Lady Elizabeth."

"I believe, Mr. Darcy, now that we've reconciliated, we can consider ourselves friends, and no friends call me Lady Elizabeth, please call me Elizabeth or Beth." Elizabeth said, trying to lift the solemn atmosphere, meanwhile trying to hide her blush at being praised so.

The two reveled in their newfound friendship, and walked on in companionable silence.

**AN:I know this chapter really sucks, bear with it… I'll write next weekend if nothing goes wrong**.


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